Ms C 09r

[9r°] rightly judged, they are a source of encouragement to one another, but still the martyrdom of each becomes the martyrdom of all. And it is the same in the religious life, which has been called a daily martyrdom by theologians. When the human heart gives itself to God, it loses nothing of its innate tenderness; in fact, this tenderness [5] grows when it becomes more pure and more divine.

I love you, dear Mother, with this tenderness, and I love my sisters too. I am happy to fight as a family for the glory of heaven’s King. However, I am prepared to fight on another battlefield if the Divine General [10] expresses His desire that I do so. A command would not be necessary, only a look, a simple sign.

Since my entrance into the blessed ark, I have always thought that if Jesus did not bring me swiftly to heaven, my lot would be the same as that of Noah’s little dove: the Lord would open the window of the ark one day, telling me [15] to fly very far, very far, toward infidel shores, carrying with me the little olive branch. Dear Mother, this thought has matured my soul, making me soar higher than all created things. I understood that even in Carmel there could still be separations, and that only in heaven will the union [20] be complete and eternal; so I wanted my soul to dwell in the heavens, and that it look upon the things of earth only from a distance. I accepted not only exile for myself among an unknown people, but also, and this was far more bitter for me, I accepted exile

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Ms C 09r